http://KONY2012.com

To every woman and man that gave their lives in defense of freedom and the country I call home, THANK YOU!

As we come together today to remember all those who have fought and died for our freedom, I sincerely hope that no one should ever have to again suffer or give their life because of another humans decision to wage war. We are now a mature race, we have no excuse for intolerance and the need for war. We MUST find a peaceful solution to our differences. There is no longer an excuse for killing thousands of our race because of ideology or worse still ego or greed.

For everyone who has died, been wounded or disabled or who have been affected by the devastation of war… I hope you find peace.

For all who are bereaved… I hope you find comfort;

For those who are faced with mental, emotional or spiritual suffering because of the things they have endured… I pray you’ll find wholeness.

For all who caring for the sick and working for peace… I wish you all the power of the universe and for all who lead our world in this new millennium, I pray that you will guide your actions and decisions by wisdom and compassion.

During our time of memorial today, may we be stirred in our sentiments and sympathies. May our gratitude for our freedom be rekindled. May we seek peaceful resolutions to strife around the world. May we accept each others cultures, customs and uniqueness and learn to appreciate each others differences, instead of hating them. May we learn to relinquish our fear, vanity, pride, greed and stubbornness so that we may never again inflict the pain of war on another human being.

A few years ago I was at the memorial service at Toronto General Hospital. I would like to share with you the poem that was read that morning. Thank you Derek S.

“They shall not grow old, as we that are left to grow old;

Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them. Lest we ever forget.”

Namaste,

Chad

We have a number of teams in Whistler, Toronto and Ottawa that have been fundraising and training for the last few months and this fall each of them will run between 4-10km each along our 100km routes in their respective cities. The Squamish to Whistler run is on the 27th of August, the Toronto to Collingwood run is on Spetember 24th and the Ottawa to Montabello run will be on Oct 15th.

We really need your help, so wether it’s assembling participant packets, patching up folks on the medical crew, pre event setup, helping with parking, maning an exchange point along the route, being part of the set up and tear down crew, or blowing up balloons, we need your heart and your hands!

Please follow the links below and sign up to lend a hand for this great cause.

Vancouver – http://thesearsgreatcanadianrun.ca/?id=10
Toronto – http://thesearsgreatcanadianrun.ca/?id=26
Ottawa – http://thesearsgreatcanadianrun.ca/?id=27

If you are unable to come out, well that’s life and I understand, but please pass this along to everyone in your network by emailing, sharing, tweeting, linking…. do what ever and however you can and with your help, we’ll be able to find enough people to help us run these events.

If you would like to sign up to participate (i.e. fundraise and run), then click here: http://therun.ca pick your location and sign up.

Thank you!

Chad Weir | Whistler Event Logistics Manager & National Series Volunteer Manager
InField Marketing Group | The Great Canadian Event Series

Below, letter that was written in response to Tim Kwong’s apology from a nurse working the E.R. at St. Paul’s Hospital here in Vancouver:

Tim,

Just because you can string an apologetic sentence together does not mean you are sorry. Perhaps I should make you aware of the consequences of your action. To you, it’s just an overturned car that you set on fire. To me, it’s walking into an overflowing ER and helping treat a girl with a severe asthma attack because she was exposed to the noxious, acrid smoke of a burning vehicle.. To her, it was just a chance to be a part of a group cheering for her team. Little did she know that later on, we were thinking of sticking a breathing tube down her throat if her condition did not improve.

To you (yes, I am lumping you with all the douche bag rioters in the ER that night) it’s a chance to congregate in the ER waiting room, pounding on the triage window demanding to be seen for teargas exposure and cuts from looting and fighting, while posturing and bragging about how you kicked the crap out of somebody and smashed shit up. To me, it’s taking my time away from the little old quiet lady having chest pain or taking time away from the person you “shit-kicked” for trying to stop the looting.

To you, it’s just a fight. To me, it’s the ER social worker looking for a teddy bear to console a 4 year old girl because she just witnessed her dad get a broken nose as he was trying to get his daughter out of the hot zone.

To you, it’s writing a letter saying “you will do whatever it takes to help clean the city.” To me, it’s walking home after a long shift and seeing all these people at 7:30 in the morning armed with garbage bags cleaning up YOUR mess and realizing that these people have more class in their pinky finger than you could ever muster in your whole life.

To me, it’s getting home to shower, only to have my elderly neighbour knock on my door and ask me if he should make an appointment with his doctor because he was experiencing shortness of breath which later turned to chest pain in the morning. He did not think about leaving his window open as he went to bed at 9 o’clock. The smoke from all the burning cars made it to our building, into his room and triggered his asthma, which then raised his heart rate, which then became a small heart attack. I asked him why he didn’t go to the ER, and he answered, “I turned on the tv this morning and saw the rioting, I did not want to be a burden.” To you, it’s just an overturned car that you set on fire.

Why am I blaming you for all this? Because you are the instigator. You ask people to leave your family, friends and co-workers alone?! I think they need to know how much of a colossal douche you are. Remember that your parents worked themselves to the bone so they can move to this country and give you your god-given right to flip cars over and set them on fire.

You, Tim Kwong, are a douchtard. Apology not accepted.

— from a E.R. nurse

I don’t, help us change our future  by changing ourselves first.

Join us to create change.  Click here

“If the universe brings you to it, it will bring you through it.”

There’s some mighty fine advice in these words, even if you’re not superstitious. Please make sure to pass this on.

ONE.  Give people more than they expect and do it happily.

TWO. Marry someone you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE.  Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, ‘I love you ,’ freak’n mean it.

FIVE.  When you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN.  Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT.  Never laugh at anyone’s dream. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, ‘Why do you want to know?’

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say ‘bless you’ when you hear someone sneeze, not because your religious, but because it’s polite.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson!

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship..

NINETEEN.  When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY.   Smile when picking up the phone… The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE.  Spend some time alone.

My Mom is alive today because of not only her donor, but the amazing doctors, nurses and staff of St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener and Toronto General Hospital in Toronto. I could not possibly thank you enough. You gave me my Mom back. With out you I would have lost her two years ago and I cannot imagine my life these past two years with out her. God damn it thank you!

With out you, she would have never had memories like these.

Read the article here.

She’d never have met or spend time with her four grandkids. Help ensure that someone else gets to have these memories.

Please sign up online at:

www.beadonor.ca (Ontario)
www.transplant.bc.ca (BC)
www.organdonor.gov (In the US)

Print off a donor card for your wallet

OR sign the back of your health card, drivers licence and let your family know your wishes.

I know that there are many other people who are still waiting for someone to give them the gift of life. Please be that person! Waiting and knowing you might not make it unless someone else takes action is a horrible feeling.

Only 16% of eligible donors have registered to actually donate their organs. 16%! that’s it!

ACT RIGHT NOW!

Need more info? Check out these sites:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_donation

www.organ-donation-works.org

http://www.organdonor.gov/why.asp

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/organ

About 4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?